A. Yes, but
anyone under the age of 18 must have a parent or guardian send their
consent to feedback@nycmidnight.com with the following information:

1. The subject line of
the e-mail should be: Parental Consent for the Screenwriting Challenge
2018

2. Their consent for your participation in the
competition in the body of the e-mail. For example, "I am the
parent/guardian of __________(Participant Name) and I hereby provide
consent for him/her to participate in the Screenwriting Challenge 2018
on nycmidnight.com"

3. The full name and phone number of the parent/guardian
in the body of the e-mail.

Q. Can I write under a pen name?

A. Yes, but please make sure to follow these
instructions so there isn't any confusion.

1. Make sure to use your pen name when
registering since that is the name that will be posted to the
website when the competition begins.

2. After you register, please make
sure to send us a separate e-mail at
feedback@nycmidnight.com
with the subject line Pen Name Information. Please
include your legal name and the pen name you are using in the body
of the email so that we have a record of it.

3. Please try to use the same name
and/or email address throughout the competition when uploading your
submissions.

Q. What if
I live in a different time zone than New York?

A. All competition
start and end dates are in the Eastern Standard Time Zone (New York). If
you live in another time zone, you will need to make sure you are
aware of how many hours ahead or behind you are from New York.
For example, if the competition start time is listed as 11:59PM EST
on a Friday and you live in Los Angeles, CA, the competition will
begin at 8:59PM local time on Friday. If you
live in London, UK the competition will begin at 4:59AM local time
on Saturday. There will also be countdown clocks
on the website to help writers keep track, but we also recommend you
mark your calendars with the correct times so you know when the
competition starts and ends so there is no confusion later.

Q. Can we provide previously made
screenplays for the 1st Round entries?

A. No. All
screenplays must be created
during the competition and must be based on the genre, subject, and
character assignment
provided.

Q. I've never written a screenplay
before. Is it important that I get the format right?

A. If you are serious about screenwriting, it is
extremely important to know the basic formatting rules. It
doesn't matter if you have an amazing story, a script that isn't
formatted properly immediately jumps out as "unprofessional" to
readers, producers, actors, and anyone that is accustomed to reading
scripts as part of their profession. Getting a screenplay
produced is tough enough without putting yourself at a disadvantage
with an incorrectly formatted screenplay.

Q. What are the proper screenplay
formatting rules? Do you have any recommendations?A. There are many, many resources available to writers
that want to write a screenplay. We have put together an
outline of the basic
formatting rules for writing a screenplay by clicking here.
You can also Google "Proper
Screenplay Format" for dozens of links explaining the basics.
If you are serious about screenwriting, you should also look into
screenwriting software, which helps immensely with the planning,
organization, and formatting of your screenplay. For free
screenwriting software, check out
Celtx or
Scripped.
If you don't mind spending money for screenwriting software,
Final Draft
and Movie Magic
have a very good reputation in the industry. Either way, do
some quick research to find out what best fits your needs.

Q.
Can teams of writers (more than 1) work on the screenplays?

A. Yes.
You may list additional writers on the registration form, but please
note that ONLY the writer who registers will be eligible for the
prizes.

Q.
Who owns the rights to the screenplays created during the
competition?

A. You, the writer. NYC Midnight reserves the
right to publish the author's name, title, and logline of any
submission for publicity purposes, but that's it.

Q.
What kind of feedback will we get for our screenplays?

A. Not only does every writer receive feedback from the judges for every
screenplay submitted, but
a special review forum is available for the participants to submit
their screenplays for review from fellow writers throughout the
competition. During the Screenwriting Challenge 2016, there
were over 1,900 comments made
on the 150+ screenplays submitted on the forum.
Click here to visit the
forums.

Q. What are the
acceptable formats for the screenplays?

A. The only acceptable formats are .pdf (Adobe Acrobat)
or .doc (Word Document).

Q. What is a logline?

A. A logline is a 1-2 sentence description of your
screenplay.
It should be simple, yet very enticing (the main goal is to make the
reader excited to read your screenplay).